Previous decorative garlands of the tinsel type have been made in a variety of densities and colors with different combinations of needle lengths and widths. It is also known to combine tinsel needles made from separate webs of material cut to different widths and lengths into the same garland. Many of the materials used are metallic-coated plastic films which are highly light-reflective to enhance the visual sparkle effect of the tinsel garland.
Tinsel garland manufacturing methods typically include feeding an elongate fiat film web through a rotary cutter which slices through the film web transversaily, except for a narrow uncut portion down the center of the film web which serves to hold the garland together alter cutting. The center section is usually called the "nerve", and as the film is processed, it is guided through the various processing stations of the garland-making machine by guides which act upon the nerve. After the film web is cut, it is directed into a twisting and compacting station where wires are applied to either side of the nerve and twisted about it. This processing station applies the wire at a greater linear speed than the feed of the wire, and this accomplishes a compacting of the film web so that the final appearance of the twisted garland is full and dense. The density may be changed by adjusting the rate of wire feed as desired and this process is called "stuffing".
Tinsel garlands are, however, limited in their appearance because of the fact that the reflective surfaces of the needles emanate radially from the center of the garland. Hence, light is directly reflected back at the viewer only along the sides of the garland allowing the less attractive center core section of the garland to be too visible. This can be overcome to some extent by increasing the density of the garland by stuffing, however, this results in a garland which is too heavy and expensive.
Another solution has been the addition of loops into the garland which are twisted into the garland central core. The loops are in the form of bows which emanate radially from the center of the garland. At their outermost point where the direction of the loops returns toward the center of the garland, a small amount of surface area facing the viewer is produced. This provides additional direct reflection of light which helps obscure or visually fill out the central core of the garland. Adding additional web material needed to form the loops is expensive, especially considering the small amount of surface area of the loop which actually reflects light directly back to the viewer. Too, the resulting garland is very heavy. Lighter garlands are preferred because they can be draped with less tension and they place less weight upon supporting structures, such as delicate tree limbs.
A prior use of longitudinal creasing of tinsel web needles is employed in a garland named "Reflections", which is produced by F.C. Young & Co., Inc. However, the creasing of the needles on this garland does not substantially bend the shank of the needle so that a portion of it faces the viewer. Rather, the needles of this garland include multiple, parallel longitudinal creases creating small, alternating bends in opposite directions which maintain the overall radial orientation of the free ends of the needles. The result causes the needles to appear wrinkled and does not help obscure the central core of the garland.
Prior art patents which further explain the garland-making process include U.S. Pat. No. 3,852,868 issued to Rodermund et al and U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,452 issued to Sanders, which are hereby included by reference as though fully set forth. Neither patent teaches or suggests bent needles having light-reflecting tabs or folding over the edges of the web prior to cutting.
Hence, there is a need in the garland arts for a garland which has a full appearance that is inexpensive to manufacture, yet is lightweight and has a large amount of directly reflecting surface area that obscures the center core area of the garland.